ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay region of Florida claims some of the deadliest areas in the nation for pedestrians. An exhaustive analysis of the nearly 50,000 pedestrian deaths in the U.S. from 2008 to 2017 shows that the Tampa Bay region in particular and the state of Florida, in general, is dangerous for […]
Pedestrian hit and run
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay region of Florida claims some of the deadliest areas in the nation for pedestrians. An exhaustive analysis of the nearly 50,000 pedestrian deaths in the U.S. from 2008 to 2017 shows that the Tampa Bay region in particular and the state of Florida, in general, is dangerous for pedestrians according to a report appearing on abcactionnews.com. The analysis was performed by a non-profit organization called Smart Growth America and released its findings in the latter part of 2019. The group found that pedestrian deaths increased by 35% from 2008 to 2017. About thirteen people are struck by a car each day in the United States.
Smart Growth American analyzed data from fatal pedestrian crashes across the United States generated over ten years to determine which metropolitan areas in the country are the most dangerous. Smart Growth America rated various metropolitan areas based on the number of pedestrian deaths based on the population of the region and devised a dangerousness index. Smart Growth America then ranked the country’s most dangerous areas as generated by that formula.
Smart Growth America ranks Florida as the deadliest state in the country for pedestrians. The Tampa Bay region, specifically, is incredibly dangerous. According to Smart Growth America, the area of North Port, Sarasota, and Bradenton is the fourth-worst area in the U.S. for pedestrian accidents. The area of Lakeland and Winter Haven is the fifth-worst area in the country. The Tampa and St. Petersburg area was slotted at the ninth-worst in the country, despite claiming the most pedestrian fatalities — 900 in over nine years.
Smart Growth America attributes the increase in pedestrian deaths to roadways that are no designed to accommodate all of the potential users. Instead, the roads are designed to accommodate an ever-increasing volume of cars on the road.
The Florida Department of Transportation increased the height of the jersey barrier lining the median of U.S. 19 in Pinellas County to deter people from trying to cross the six-lane highway.
